Vinícius Júnior can thrive at Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane

Real Madrid have a very bright player in the form of Vinícius Júnior, and there’s every reason to believe that he will make it big under Zinedine Zidane.

Many fans expected the sparkling youngster to start the second leg in Manchester in a bid to force an insuperable comeback. Eden Hazard may not have been 100% fit to start, but the starting XI told a completely different story.

Hazard, who was a doubt for the match due to his recurring ankle problems, started ahead of the in-form Vinícius Júnior. The fans were left frustrated as Hazard failed to influence the game and showcase why Real Madrid signed him for such a hefty fee.

With the game (and the tie overall) falling out of Real’s hands with every passing minute, Zidane waited until the 83rd minute to make a triple substitution. None of those three substitutes was Vinícius Júnior.

When you have a player of the caliber of Vinícius Júnior, it’s hard to comprehend Zidane’s decision of not using the player at all. He was the most dangerous player on the bench, and perhaps the biggest game-changer. Considering how easily he caused hassle to the Manchester City defence in the first leg, he could’ve helped Real score more than one, or at least would’ve given his all while defending with his outrageous work rate.

Since then, reports from Spain suggest that Vinícius Júnior is not a part of Zidane’s plans moving forward and that the 20-year old was unhappy at being unused during the second leg vs. Manchester City. However, we must not pay heed to such reports. Zidane has faith in the young winger and holds him in high regard.

Zidane refuted claims of sending Vinícius Jr. on loan in back in January and was quick to lavish praise on Vinícius after his impressive outing in the 2-0 victory against Barcelona. However, he also made it a point to warn Vinícius of the future.

"“He has good conditions, but we don’t control what is said outside, sometimes the criticisms are complicated, and he has to live with that, this is Real Madrid.”"

Zidane commented during the Barcelona post-match interview. These comments were about the relentless criticism that was heaved at Vinícius Jr. However, there’s more than one way to interpret Zidane’s statements.

Real Madrid have two great LWs in Vinícius Júnior, Eden Hazard

One way to look at it would be that Zidane is talking about the bigger picture. If Vinícius Jr. wants to make a name for himself at the Bernabéu, he must learn to accept a squad role at first. Zidane knows how talented the player is. He wants him to understand that at a club as big as Real Madrid, things are never going to be easy, especially when you are inexperienced and have players like Eden Hazard sharing the dressing room with you. There is no way Vinícius Jr. can break into the starting XI when Hazard starts.

There have been instances during the season when Vinícius Jr. was experimented at the right-wing spot, only for the experiment to be futile. Vinícius Jr. thrives on the left-wing.

There is reason to believe he will become a key player in Zidane’s plans. In my opinion, he already is. Although he has a secondary role within the team, Vinícius Jr. has tons of untapped potential. Zidane is the right player to groom the youngster and there is enough proof of what the gaffer and the player have been working on behind the scenes.

Last season, Vinícius Jr. used to slalom past defenders effortlessly but didn’t know when to stop, when to play the pass, when to recycle possession by dropping the tempo by half a notch. This season, however, his interplay with teammates improved dramatically. He wasn’t the player from 2018-19 who exuded overwhelming amounts of confidence on the ball but was poor with his link-up with teammates.

His movements, both on and off the ball, have been very calculated. He doesn’t get dispossessed as much as he did during his debut season. Vinícius Jr.’s final ball lacks the panache and killer instinct though, while his finishing still seems to be at sixes and sevens. However, there are indeed a lot of signs of improvement. Zidane has worked with Vinícius Jr. separately to help him develop mastery over his finishing.

What also works in Vinícius Jr.’s favour is his persistence and grit. He absorbed all the criticism thrown at him with grace and silenced all his doubters with great display after display. He is a workhorse off the ball, another noteworthy aspect of his game.

There is no doubt that Zidane believes Vinícius Jr. is a work in progress, but one cannot deny that he admires him. He knows what he brings to the team and all the brouhaha revolving the fallout between Vinícius Jr. and Zidane will evaporate into thin air before we can even realize. Vinícius Jr. is here to stay, and I am sure he will become a better player sooner rather than later under Zidane’s tutelage.